**Members are advised that consideration ofH.R. 1229 is expected on Tuesday, May 10. Votes will be postponed until 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, May 10.

H.Res. 245 - Rule providing for consideration of H.R. 1230 – Restarting Offshore Leasing Now Act (Rep. Hastings (WA) – Natural Resources) (1 Hour of Debate) The Rules committee has recommended a structured-closed Rule that provides for consideration of both H.R. 1230 and H.R. 1229. The Rule would provide 1 hour of debate equally controlled by the Chair and Ranking Member of the Committee on Natural Resources on both bills. The Rule also stipulates that upon adoption of both H.R. 1230 and H.R. 1229, the Clerk shall merge them together and they will become one bill. For H.R. 1230, the Rule provides for 2 amendments to be considered. For H.R. 1229, the Rule provides for consideration of 11 amendments. Finally, the Rule provides for one motion to recommit, with instructions, on both H.R. 1230 and H.R. 1229.

The Rules committee rejected numerous amendments offered by Democratic members, including an amendment offered by Mr. McGovern, which would have eliminated subsidies for oil companies. The Rules committee also rejected an amendment offered by Mr. Hastings (FL), which would have required state governments to consent to lease sales if they were affected by an oil spill.

H.R. 1230 – Restarting Offshore Leasing Now Act (Rep. Hastings (WA) – Natural Resources) (1 Hour of Debate) H.R. 1230 would require the Department of the Interior to conduct 4 offshore oil and gas lease sales in an accelerated time frame: 3 in the Gulf of Mexico, and 1 in the Mid-Atlantic region (Virginia). In addition to requiring the lease sales, this legislation would deem that environmental reviews conducted prior to the oil spill in the Gulf last year would be sufficient for the purpose of those sales.

H.Res. 245 makes in order the following amendments:

Holt Amendment (10 minutes). Removes provisions in the bill that would "deem" the safety and environmental review done in 2007, prior to the BP spill, sufficient for new Gulf offshore oil and gas leasing. Would allow lease sales to go forward, but require new environmental and safety reviews, following the BP spill.
Connolly/Moran/Sarbanes Amendment (10 minutes). Ensures that the lease sale off the coast of Virginia contained in the bill does not interfere with Naval or other DOD military operations.

“The nation’s unnerving descent into debt began a decade ago with a choice, not a crisis… Voices of caution were swept aside in the rush to take advantage of the apparent bounty. Political leaders chose to cut taxes, jack up spending and, for the first time in U.S. history, wage two wars solely with borrowed funds… The biggest culprit, by far, has been an erosion of tax revenue triggered largely by two recessions and multiple rounds of tax cuts… All told, Obama-era choices account for about $1.7 trillion in new debt, according to a separate Washington Post analysis of CBO data over the past decade. Bush-era policies, meanwhile, account for more than $7 trillion and are a major contributor to the trillion-dollar annual budget deficits that are dominating the political debate.”

- Washington Post, 4/30/11

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On Tuesday, The House will meet at 10:00 a.m. for legislative business and recess immediately. The House will reconvene at approximately 10:45 a.m. for the purpose of receiving, in a Joint Meeting of Congress, His Excellency Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister of Israel.